Changes coming to state team wrestling tournament

ROBBINSVILLE A proposed expansion of the public school portion of the NJSIAA Team Wrestling Tournament will result in the association moving the site of the final day of that tournament to Sun National Bank Center, Trenton, it was announced Wednesday.

Pine Belt Arena, on the campus of Toms River High School North, had been the site of the public school semifinal and championship matches and non public school championship matches of the tournament since 2005.

There will be five groups -- I-V -- in the the public school portion of the tournament, if the NJSIAA Executive Committee approves the proposed tournament expansion on a second reading Oct. 10. The committee approved the proposal on a first reading, 26-6, Wednesday. There will still be two non public groups -- A and B. The conclusion of the 2015 Team Tournament will be Sunday, Feb 15.

Through last year, there were four public school groups -- I-IV -- and the two non public groups.

The additional group will create the need for more available mats because there will now be 10 public school semifinal matches, instead of eight, and seven group championship matches instead of six.

Sun National Bank Center, which seats about 8,600 for basketball, can accomodate 6-8 mats at a time, Linden athletics director Steve Yesinko, the head of the NJSIAA’s Program Review Committee, said.

Pine Belt Arena, which seats about 3,100 for wrestling, has only been able to accomodate four mats at a time.

“This has nothing to do with the way we were treated (by the Toms River Regional schools) it has to do with the logistics of operating a tournament, and that’s something I really have to watch,’’ NJSIAA Executive Director Steve Timko said.

“We’ve always had a good working relationship with the NJSIAA,’’ Toms River Regional Schools Athletic Director Joe Arminio said. “We’ll still be hosting some of their events in our district, but at the end of the day, they need to do what’s in their best interests and in the best interests of student athletes. I really believe Steve and his organization do what’s in the best interest of student athletes.’’

Timko said the mat setup for the semifinal matches at Sun National Bank Center will be six for the first session and four for the second session. Those sessions are usually held at 10 a.m and 12:30 p.m. He said the mat setup for the Group championship matches at Sun National Bank Center will be four for the first session and three for the second session. Those sessions usually take place at 3:30 and 6 p.m.

Four mats were used for the semifinal sessions and three for the championship sessions at Pine Belt Arena.

“We did need a space where you could put six mats down because of where we are,’’ Timko said.

Arminio said four mats is the most Pine Belt Arena could accomodate without the risk of losing seating.

Toms River North does have a second gymnasium, which is about 15 feet down the hall from Pine Belt Arena, but that would result in fans in attendance not being able to see all the matches at once.

There was some discussion in the months since it became known about the proposal of the fifth public school group, about holding the final stage of the tournament over two days at Pine Belt Arena.

“We didn’t think that was fair to the fan base, to come back twice even though I know we have avid wrestling fans,’’ Timko said. “I had a hard time picturing how it would go. If you tried to utilize the other gym that was there, somebody was going to be upset.

“I think this (the move to Sun National Bank Center) provided the best alternative to make everybody happy, quite frankly. We’ve been there before. The parking is good. We’ve held other events there.’’

Arminio said “some ideas were thrown around, but noting was concrete’’.

The tournament was at Sun National Bank Arena, when it was called Sovereign Bank Arena, in the early 2000’s. The last year it was in Trenton was 2004. Sun National Bank Center has hosted the championship games of the boys and girls basketball tournaments the last two years.

Yesinko said the additional group will cost the NJSIAA $1,150. He said that cost will be made up by the NJSIAA being able to take in some of the parking revenue at Sun National Bank Center.

There was no charge for parking at Pine Belt Arena.

Timko said the group expansion was first brought up by the wrestling committee and then went to the Program Review Committee. Both Timko and Yesinko said a poll was also taken amongst the NJSIAA’s 15 conferences.

Yesinko said 10 conferences approved the proposal. The Shore Conference approved it 29-6 with three abstentations.

Timko said Pine Belt Arena will still host the District 24 and Region VI tournaments and the girls basketball group championship games and boys and girls basketball Tournament of Champions quarterfinal games.

OTHER NEWS

Timko announced he is recovening the association’s Public/Non Public Committee to look at ever-growing problems with transfers, recruiting, bona-fide change of address, choice schools and out-of-season guidelines.

The committee will be chaired by West Windsor-Plainsboro South principal Mike Zapicki and South Brunswick principal Aileen McGrath.

A one-year pilot program to begin basketball practice Monday-Wednesday before Thanksgiving was approved by the Executive Committee, 25-10. The program was proposed by Pascack Valley.

The additional three days will not count as the official start of practice and will not count toward the six days of practice that must be held before a team can scrimmage. The purpose of the program is to help teams make roster cuts.